Insights and Issues in the ongoing Jewish-Christian Dialogue

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This site is devoted to fostering mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Jews around the world. Here you will find articles, reviews, reports, official statements, and study resources on Jewish-Christian relations, as well as links to many related organizations. Please click on Contact to offer feedback or propose additions to the site.

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ICCJ

International Council of Christians and Jews

This site is owned and maintained by the International Council of Christians and Jews, which has 38 Christian-Jewish and interreligious member organizations in 32 countries. Its headquarters is in the Martin Buber House in Heppenheim, Germany, where the great Jewish thinker lived until Nazi persecution forced him to flee.

Through its annual conferences and other consultations the ICCJ offers a platform where Christians, Jews, and in recent years Muslims as well, examine current issues across national and religious boundaries, providing the opportunity for face-to-face exchanges of experience and expertise.

The views expressed on this website do not necessarily represent the views of the ICCJ, its Executive Board, or its national member organizations. For more details please see our legal notice.

Book Reviews

An American Muslim Looks at the Shoah

Reports (332)

ICCJ 2018 Conference: Towards Reconciliation in a Broken World

ANETTE ADELMANN| 01.02.2018

Preparations for ICCJ's 2018 annual conference to be held in Budapest and Kecskemét/Hungary, June 24-27, are under way. The theme of this year's conference is "Towards Reconciliation in a Broken World: Jewish and Christian Contributions to Responsible Citizenship"
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Biblical studies and contemporary anti-Semitism

Lisa Palmieri-Billig*| 01.02.2018

Ever since 1970, January 17 has been observed as the annual “Day for deepening and developing the dialogue between Catholics and Jews” (approfondimento e sviluppo del dialogo tra cattolici ed ebrei). On this day, Catholic Churches and institutions all over Italy organize encounters with Jewish representatives.
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Jewish-Catholic Celebration of Hannukah inside Vatican Walls

Lisa Palmieri-Billig*| 02.01.2018

Vatican offices have received some extraordinary guests this past week.
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Out of Control: Confrontations between Spinoza and Levinas

Richard A. Cohen:Out of Control: Confrontations between Spinoza and Levinas.Albany: State University of New York Press, 2016 370 pp. $95.00 (cloth)
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News (1)

Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: Bilateral dialogue holds biannual meeting

JCR| 01.01.2018

Tuesday, December 05 2017 - The national bilateral dialogue of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus met for its biannual meeting on 29 November 2017 at the Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Montreal.
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Statements | Protestant (46)

On the eve of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

The United Protestant Church of Belgium*| 01.02.2017

This letter to the President of the Central Israelite Consistory in Belgium, Mr. Philippe Markiewicz LL.M., was read by the President of the United Protestant Church in Belgium, Rev. Steven H. Fuite, on Thursday, December 1st 2016, in the Great Synagogue in Brussels during the 6th annual colloquium of the group “Juifs et chrétiens, engageons-nous!” (“Jews and Christians, let us commit ourselves!”). The colloquium was attended by more than 200 people who discussed recent statements on Jewish-Christian relations.
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"… he keeps faith forever." (Psalm 146:6)

Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany| 01.12.2016

Declaration of the 12th Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany in its 3rd Session.
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Martin Luther and the Jews. A necessary reminder on the occasion of the Reformation anniversary

Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)| 01.03.2016

Declaration, adopted during the 2nd session of the 12th Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), 8 to 11 November 2015, Bremen
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Statements | Joint Christian-Jewish (51)

Joint Reflections on the Declaration “Between Jerusalem and Rome”

| 01.12.2017

Bilateral Commission Meeting of the Delegations of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. Jerusalem, November 12-14, 2017; MarCheshvan, 23-25, 5778.
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Promoting Peace in the Face of Violence in the Name of Religion

A Process of Mutual Empowerment

In response to a recent WCC-NCCC press release on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the ICCJ publishes the open letter "A Process of Mutual Empowerment".
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Statements | Jewish (14)

Between Jerusalem and Rome - כלל ופרט בין ירושלים לרומי

The Conference of European Rabbis[*] and The Rabbinical Council of America[**]| 01.02.2017

The Shared Universal and the Respected Particular. Reflections on 50 Years of Nostra Aetate.
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To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians

| 01.01.2016

After nearly two millennia of mutual hostility and alienation, we Orthodox Rabbis who lead communities, institutions and seminaries in Israel, the United States and Europe recognize the historic opportunity now before us. We seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters. Jews and Christians must work together as partners to address the moral challenges of our era.
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Declaration for the Upcoming Jubilee of Brotherhood

On November 23, 2015 at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, the "Declaration for the Upcoming Jubilee of Brotherhood," signed by various persons of the French Jewish world (Jean-François Bensahel, Rabbi Philippe Haddad, Rabbi Rivon Krygier, Raphy Marciano, Franklin Rausky), was presented by the Chief Rabbi of France, Haim Korsia to Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris. An unofficial English translation of the statement follows.
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Statements | Ecumenical (21)

The Kairos Palastine Document

| 01.08.2010

We, a group of Christian Palestinians, after prayer, reflection and an exchange of opinion, cry out from within the suffering in our country, under the Israeli occupation, with a cry of hope in the absence of all hope, a cry full of prayer and faith in a God ever vigilant, in God's divine providence for all the inhabitants of this land. Inspired by the mystery of God's love for all, the mystery of God's divine presence in the history of all peoples and, in a particular way, in the history of our country, we proclaim our word based on our Christian faith and our sense of Palestinian belonging - a word of faith, hope and love.
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Statement on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

World Counil of Churches (WCC)| 06.09.2009

1. While the decision of the United Nations (UN) of 1947 (Resolution 181) to establish two states in the land of Palestine was partially achieved with the creation of the state of Israel, the second part of this resolution is still waiting for realization: the establishment of a Palestinian state.
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Holocaust/Shoah: Its Effects on Christian Theology and Life in Argentina and Latin America

Statements | Roman Catholic (59)

"Jerusalem is a treasure of all humanity that cannot be reduced to a territorial dispute and political sovereignty"

Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem| 01.01.2018

Jerusalem, December 8, 2017 – Amidst the reactions prompted by the decision of President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem underscores the sacredness of the city and wishes that she remains a place where Jews, Christians and Moslems continue to meet one another.
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"We have a special responsibility to be and to live as people of peace"

Pope Francis| 01.10.2017

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis for the International Meeting "Paths of Peace", Muenster and Osnabrueck, Germany, 10-12 September 2017.
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Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Delegation of Rabbis for the Presentation of the Statement "Between Jerusalem and Rome"

Articles | Observations & Experiences (166)

To Build Trust by Learning about other Religions

Sharon Rosen*| 02.01.2018

It is my great pleasure to once again attend a Sant’Egidio meeting after many years of deep friendship with this magnificent community. And I am especially proud to be representing my organization, Search for Common Ground at this meeting as its first global director for religious engagement.
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The Embrace between Esau and Jacob—Is Reconciliation Possible?

Ron Kronish| 01.01.2018

A few days ago, I was interviewed by Rabbi Harlan Wechsler, a retired Conservative rabbi from New York, who now lives in both Jerusalem and New York. For 10 years, he has hosted a radio program called “Rabbi Wechsler Teaches” for Serius XM Radio, an internet radio station in the USA.
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Gregory Baum and Jewish-Christian relations

Jean Duhaime*| 01.11.2017

Gregory Baum, a well-known theologian, has passed away in Montreal on December 18, 2017. As a member of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity during the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), he made a major contribution to the preparation of the Declaration Nostra Aetate. The following text briefly looks back at this page of history in Jewish-Christian relations.[1]
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Articles | Fundamentals & Introductions (121)

What Did the Faith Community Stand For? Doctrines and Deeds in Nazi Europe

USHMM| 01.01.2018

Examine how different faith communities, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestants, and Catholics, reacted in the face of the challenges then—and the questions the history poses today.
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Economy and Social Justice

David Rosen*| 01.12.2017

Speech given at the International Meeting "PATHS OF PEACE: Religions and cultures in dialogue" (September 10th to 12th 2017) in the German cities of Münster and Osnabrück.
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Elie Wiesel’s Pedagogy: Making Us More Human

Joseph A. Kanofsky*| 01.11.2017

Key elements in Elie Wiesel’s pedagogical method, as observed in his University Seminars at Boston University in the 1980’s and 1990’s, yield useful insight into how a secular classroom draws on deeply-rooted religious elements to enable students to realize their potential as human beings regardless of the differences in their religious backgrounds and inclinations.
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Articles | Scholarly Contributions (160)

Confessions of a Jewish Ecumenist

Deborah Weissman| 01.02.2018

I often joke that I have probably attended more World Council of Churches functions than any other Jew in the world. I feel that I owe the WCC a great debt of gratitude. In June of 1988, through the WCC, I underwent a life-transforming experience.
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Bridge over Troubled Water: Towards a Journey of Friendship

Eeuwout van der Linden| 01.12.2017

Subsequent another contribution of a series of articles (see: part one, part two, part three, part four) that features a dozen Christian and Jewish theologians reflecting on the state of Jewish-Christian relations today and whether there exists a “special relationship” between the two religious traditions. The articles were first published in CURRENT DIALOGUE No. 58, 2016, edited by the World Council of Churches and are republished with kind permission.
JCR
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Statements | Orthodox (3)

To Recognize Christ in His People: Declaration by a Round Table of Eastern Orthodox Priests and Cultural Representatives

| 01.06.2007

Twelve Eastern Orthodox priests and lay leaders from Greece, Georgia, Italy, Russia, and Ukraine issued this statement at the conclusion of a five-day visit to Jerusalem, April 20-24, 2007.
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Statement by Metropolitan Yuvenali (Russian Orthodox Church) on the Alleged "Ritual" Nature of the Murder of the Royal Family

Metropolitan Yuvenali| 01.06.2005

In its historical analysis of the Ekaterinburg tragedy, the Commission could not avoid dealing with the question of the so-called ritual murder of the royal family, which continues to be the subject of press articles.
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Communique of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Regarding Anti-Semitic Posters

| 01.05.2005

Upon learning the facts with regard to the anti-Semitic posters and graffiti that appeared in Belgrade on March 22 of this year, as well as of earlier, similar and in some cases even more blatant, inhumane and malicious demonstrations of prejudice and intolerance toward the Jewish people, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, convened today, March 24, in prayerful memory of the innocent victims of the bombing by the NATO alliance, wishes to communicate the following
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Statements | Interreligious (5)

Israel, Palestinians & Mid-East

| 01.01.2017

Declaration of the Spain Summit for Religious Peace in the Middle East
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International Abrahamic Forum condemns German ban on circumcision

International Abrahamic Forum| 10.07.2012

The International Abrahamic Forum is deeply concerned by the recent ban on circumcision by the court in Cologne, Germany.
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Resolution

ICCJ International Abrahamic Forum| 01.11.2011

At its meeting held January 2011 in the Martin Buber House in Heppenheim, Germany, the Executive Board of the International Council of Christians and Jews, implementing the decision taken by the 2010 ICCJ Annual General Meeting held in Istanbul, Turkey, decided to renew its commitment to the Jewish-Christina-Muslim dialogue. During a trilateral consultation, held in Berlin, December 2010, the following proposition was drafted, with which the ICCJ Executive Board unanimously agreed.
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